BMW and Mercedes Benz are the perceived pinnacle of quality in automobiles. It is always debatable as to whether or not they are truly the high point of all automobile manufacturing but their track record, and reputation, are such that when any average car buyer thinks of the height of automobile engineering they think of those two companies. Imagine if an entire country had that same reputation for a line of products. Imagine the positive impact of something like that.

Well with the watches of Switzerland that is exactly what has happened. The watches of Switzerland are world renowned for their precision and durability. After decades, maybe even centuries, of producing quality timepieces the watches of Switzerland have earned the level of respect in the watch making world that BMW and Mercedes Benz have earned in the automobile industry. Much of the reputation of the watches of Switzerland is well earned and some of it is the stuff of legend. But as with any good story there is always someone else’s take on it that makes it grander than the truth and the watches of Switzerland are no exception. The difference is that the Swiss stamp on any timepiece is instantly regarded as a real stamp of quality regardless of what the real stories may be.

The real story of the watches of Switzerland is actually a story that combines Swiss precision with German marketing. Some of the earliest and most well known watch making companies were started in Switzerland and then eventually they got involved with German parent companies to create an engineering masterpiece with a decisive marketing push behind it. The whole thing worked and now the watches of Switzerland are regarded as the highest of quality. But it didn’t happen overnight and it took the televising of an international sporting event to put the final touches on the reputation.

Gold, Silver, Bronze

When the Olympic games hit the television airwaves the organizers knew that precision timing was important. To the international community the notion of precision Swiss timing was well known, but to Americans it was not as widely understood. Suddenly the Olympic games were on television and Americans were watching events timed by Swiss timing. At the bottom of the television screen were the words Swiss Timing constantly reminding the world that if you want precision timing you go with a Swiss product.

Ever since the Olympics, Swiss timing and the watches of Switzerland have become synonymous with quality. This is just one more legend that television helped to spread and solidify.